Vapor-relay-circuit controller



Aug. 31 1926. 1,597,760

W. BURSTYN VAPOR RELAY CIRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed March 25 1925 1&2 k i,

Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

WALTHER BUBSTY'N, OF BERLIN-WILMEBSDOBF, GERMANY.

VAPOR-RELAY-CIRCUIT CONTROLLER.

Application filed March 25, 1925, Serial No. 18,257, and in Germany augult 22, 1823.

The present invention has for itsobject a new method for rapidly making and breaking heavy alternatin is especially adopted for igh speed Wave telegraphy.

It has been proposed ous currentsby means of a relay consisting of a mercury vapor lamp in the following way: In order to close the circuit the arc is started by means of a high tension shock imposed upon band of the lamp. In order to open the circuit the arc is extinguished by superpos-' ing on it an opposite shock of current, preferably by discharging a charged condenser through the arc.

This method of switching would be very advantageous for high speed wave telegraphy, because the use of inertialess relays-as realized by a mercury arcpermits of making and breaking the circuit much quicker and easier than by contact relays. However mercury arcs allow the current to pass only in one direction and can not be used directly to switch alternating currents.

According to the invention the problem of using inertialess relays for this purpose to switch continuis solved by switching instead of the alt'ernating current a continuous current connected with the first one in such a way that the existence of the continuous current is the condition for the existence or non-existence of the alternating current. This may be realized for instance in one of the following ways: I

1. The alternating current may be superimposed'on a continuous current furnished by an auxiliary source, and both passed through the rectifier, the sum of the two being always positive.

2. The alternating current may be rectified by means of two rectifiers or atleast two anodes.

3. The alternating current may be assed through an iron core choke coil an only flows when the selfinduction of the coil has a certain value. The self inductance can then be altered by means of a continuous current flowing through the relay rectifier.

4. The alternating current may be generated by means of a frequency transformer the" iron core of which is magnetized with continuous current.

+5. The alternating current may be gencurrents and it the so-called starting are connected auxiliary electrode n in A source of energy h of suferated by a dynamo the continuous field current of which is switched by the rectifier.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic arrangement conforming to the invention in which an alternating current is superimposed on a direct current and the combined current passed through a vapor rectifier.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic arrangement making use of two vapor rectifiers to pass the alternating current and Figs. 3 and 4 arediiferent modifications in which unidirectional current through a vapor rectifier serves to vary an inductance in the alternating current circuit.

- The invention has been illustrated by way of example in the drawings as a plied to a radio sending station and it has been found very useful for this purpose but it is quite obvious that in its more general aspects it can be used in any case where it is desired to make and break an alternating currentcircuit quickly by using an inertialess relay.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, a represents an aerial of a wireless transmitter which is energized by an alternator g coupled'to the aerial by means of a transformer comprising the rimary 'coil p and the secondary coil's. he antenna circuit is connected to ground through a mercury arc rectifier of which the main terminals to the antenna and ground, respectively, and which is provided with an the form of a starting band.

ficiently high potential to supply the re-,

quired startingxpulse to the rectifier has one of its terminals connected to ground and the other to the band n, a switch :1: being interposed in the circuit to permit of applying the starating pulse whenever desired.

high ohmic resistance 2 is shunted across this ener izing circuit between the starting band an the ground. A source of energy in the shape of a battery I) of about fifty volts is connected across the main terminals of the rectifier g, a choke coil d and an ohmic resistance w being included in the circuit 'for purposes to. be hereinafter described. A condenser c has one terminal connected to one terminal of the resistance w and its other terminal connected throu h a high resistance 1: to a point between t e other terminal of the resistance to and the battery 6. A switch y is provided for connecting the condenser 0 directly across the rectifier terminals when desired.

The high frequency alternating current for energizing the antenna a is supplied by the generator 9', all of the antenna current in this case flowing through the rectifier g owing to the choking action of the choke coil at. As the rectifier will only pass current in one direction this alternating current must be superimposed on a direct current which should be at least equal in value to the maximum amplitude of the alternating current. With this arrangement a unidirectional current passing through the rectifier will supply the antenna owing to its alternating current component while the direct current component will have no effect on the antenna system. The direct current component of the current through the rectifier is supplied by the battery 5 and this cur rent is limited by the resistance -w and should be at least equal to the amplitude of the aerial current as just stated. .It may in certain cases, however, be somewhat smaller as the self inductance (2 will maintain the lamp current for short intervals. The battery Z) possesses suflicient power to maintain a current through the rectifier 9 when the current is once established but has not sufficient power to establish such a current on account of the natural starting resistance of the rectifier.

The operation of the system'is as follows:

lVhen it is desired to start the system the switch a2 is closed a plying the potential of the battery it to t 1e starting band 7 to furnish a starting pulse to the rectifier. A direct current from the battery 6 then flows through the rectifier through the circuit including the choke coil d and the resistance 20. The switch :0 can then be opened and this current will continue to flow. This direct currenthas superimposed on it an alternating component representing the alternating voltage of the generator 9 and an alternating current circuit for the antenna system is established from the antenna a through secondary coil 8, the rectifier g to ground. The condenser 0 is connected across the resistance to and the direct current flowing from the battery I) through the resistance to serves to charge this condenser which will become charged to its capacity and remain charged as long as this current is flowing; The alternating current is in terrupted by extinguishing the rectifier g which may be doneby closing the switch 1 3 whereupon the condenser c discharges through the lamp supplying a pulse of energy in opposition to the current flowing through the lamp 0t suificient value to interrupt the flow of "the continuous current therethrough, it being assumed, of course,

that the condenser c is large enough to pro vide a discharge current of the required strength. The alternating current in the antenna circuit depends on the presence of a continuous current through the rectifier g and this continuous current can be established by momentarily closing the switch w and interrupted by momentarily closing the switch y thus providing a substantially inertialess control for the alternating current.

Fig. 2 illustrates a system conforming to the case number 2 mentioned above in which two. rectifiers are used to rectify alternate half waves of the alternating current. In

this figure the alternating current circuit.

from the antenna a to ground is divided in two halves, one comprising the rectifier g and the choke coil al and the other comprising the rectifier g and the choke coil d The cathode of one rectifier and the anode of the other are connected to the antenna a and the opposite electrodes through their respective choke coils to ground. The branched circuit then provides a closed continuous current circuit as indicated by the arrow and a path for the alternating current through the tubes is provided. The rectifiers are started and extinguished by means of the starting bands n, n and condenser as explained in connection with Fig. 1.

The third scheme is illustrated in Fig. 3. The aerial a is in resonance with the frequency of the primary 1? only when the iron core choking coil 7 has a certain selfinduction, this selfinduction being obtained when a certain continuous current, furnished by the battery Z), flows through the right hand windings of the coil, the resistance 'w' and the rectifier g The lamp is started by bringing the switch t to the right hand position in order to energize the spark inductor i the secondary of which is in connection with the starting band of the rectifier. The lamp is extinguished by bringing the switch 27 to the left hand position, thus discharging the condenser 0 through the rectifier.

The selfinduction of the coil 7'' required for resonance may, in certain cases, be obtained when the continuous current is interrupted, so that the aerial current flows when the rectifier is extinguished.

Another scheme of starting and extinguishing the relay rectifier g is shown in Fig. 4. The discharging of the condenser c is effected in this case, b starting a second (small) mercury recti er g When the switch at is moved alternately to the right and to the left both rectifiers are alternately started by discharging the condensers I0 and 10 through the primary of the two small Tesla transformers 2' and i the secondary windings'of which are connected with the starting bands a and n of the rectifiers.

The cases No. 4 and No. 5 are quite simvapor relay in said circuit, a source of elecilar to that of'No. 3, the magnetizing windin of the frequency transformer or the fie d windings of the alternator replacing the right hand windings of the 0011 f of Fig. 3.

While certain specific embodiments of my invention have been particularly illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to its illustrated embodiments but may be embodied in other schemes and'methods within the scope of the invention as specifically pointed out in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for making and breaking electric circuits comprising an element of variable conductivity, means for controlling the conductivity of said element comprising a vapor relay, a source of ener y connected across said relay, means for app yin a starting pulse to said rela to establis a unidirectional current t erethrough, a condenser connected to said relay to be charged by the current therethrough and means for discharging said condenser through said relay to lnterrupt the unidirectional current.

2. A device for making and breaking an alternating current circuit comprising a vapor relay in said circuit, a source of elec-- trical energy connected to said relay and means for establishing and interruptin a unidirectional current therethrough to selectively form or break a path for the alternat ing current through said relay, said last named means including means for ap lying a starting pulse to said relay an condenser means for a plying a stopping pulse of energy to sai relay by discharging throu h said relay. s

3. device for making and breaking an alternating current circuit comprising a trical energy connected to said relay and means for establishing and interrupting a unidirectional current therethrough to selectively form or break a path for the alternating current through said relay, said last named means including means for applymg a starting pulse of energy to said relay and a condenser connected to said relay to be charged by the unidirectional current, therethrough and means for discharging I said condenser through said relay in opposition to the unidirectional current.

4. A control device for making and breaking an alternating currentcircuit comprising a vapor relay having a pair of main electrodes and an auxiliary electrode, a source of energy connected to said relay and means for applying a starting potential to said auxiliary electrode to establish a unidirectional current through said relay and a circuit connected across said main electrodes and including a source of energy to apply a pulse of energy opposed to the unidirectional current to interrupt the latter.

5. A circuit controlling device comprising a vapor relay having apair of main electrodes and anauxiliary electrode," a source vof energy connected to said relay and means for app ying a starting potential to said auxiliary electrode to establish a unidirectional current through said relay and a condenser connected to said relay to be charged by the current therethrough with means for dischar ing it in opposition to the unidirectiona current to interrupt the latter.

7. A circuit controlling device comprising a vapor relay having a pair of main electrodes and an auxiliary electrode, a source of energy connected to said relay and means for applying a starting potential to' said auxiliary electrode to establish a unidirectional current through said relay, a condenser connected in circuit with said source of energy and said relay to be charged by the unidirectional current and means for discharging said condenser across the terminals of said relay in opposition to the unidirectional current to interrupt the latter.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WALTHER' BURSIYN. 

